


A Moment's Respite

by quilleth



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Banter, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28137003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quilleth/pseuds/quilleth
Summary: After the Trapper fight, Nate tries to get Adam to rest while recovering and Adam tries to avoid the topic of a certain detective to varying degrees of success
Relationships: Adam du Mortain & Nate Sewell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	A Moment's Respite

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fumm95](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fumm95/gifts).



Nate entered Adam’s room and sighed when he saw him looking through paperwork. “You are supposed to be resting,” he said.

“I have work to do. And if I’m not allowed to get out of bed to do it,” Adam replied with a snort, “then I have to do it here.”

“How are you feeling?” Nate asked, sprawling in the utilitarian desk chair with his legs stretched out in front of him.

“I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Adam,” Nate said in an exasperated tone. “Admitting you’re in pain for once might actually get you out of here sooner. I hear you were arguing with the doctors the other night before they sedated you.”

“They didn’t sedate me. They gave me painkillers.”

Nate raised an eyebrow. “Yes, DMB, which also works as as sedative.”

Adam looked at him askance. “Fine. I was a little sore. Happy?”

“Not really, no. Adam…you were in pretty rough shape. You gave everyone a scare, especially the detective. Have you talked to her since then?”

Adam sighed. He had expected this, at least to some extent. But there were some things he simple couldn’t talk about right now, and _she_ was one of them. “How would I have, when I’ve been trapped here, Nate? No, I haven’t talked to her.” He paused. “I am sorry if she was…distressed. But it’s a risk with this job. She needs to get used to it.”

“That’s not very fair, Adam. She’s only known about this world for a couple of months. And seeing you especially in such a rough state; you can’t say that’s a normal part of the job, because even I’ve rarely seen you in that bad a state.”

“I’m sure she would have been upset if anyone had been hurt. I don’t know why it makes such a different that it was me,” Adam snapped, knowing as he did that the impulse to deny any special connection was an ignoble one. Nate clearly thought so, given his expression. Adam would have been more annoyed by his friend’s ability to express so much with just a look, but they’d been friends for too long for it to really have the impact Nate hoped. “She’s too soft, Nate. We’re vampires; we can handle being a little roughed up every once in a while.”

“She’s not soft, Adam; she’s human.”

“Exactly my point. She’s human, and that makes her soft. This work—it’s dangerous. I’m not going to try to soften things by denying that or saying situations like that fight with the Trappers won’t happen again. She will have to get used to it sooner or later. None of us can do that for her, and I doubt she’d appreciate it much if we tried.”

“Adam—” Nate cut himself off and shook his head. “I’m not going to push you to talk about her since I know you won’t if you really don’t want to—”

“But you think that I should anyway,” Adam finished for him. 

“You’ll have to face it someday, old friend,” Nate said a little sadly. He smiled, “In the meantime, I brought you one of your favorite books to read,” he added, setting the book on Adam’s bed and reaching to take the paperwork from him.

Adam stared at him and lifted the papers away. “I am working.”

“Yes, and you’re supposed to be resting. So let yourself rest for once. Read the book and let the rest of us handle the paperwork for now.”

“Do you really expect me to leave this to the mercies of Morgan or god forbid, Farah? You know it’ll never get done correctly, if they do it at all!”

Nate grinned. “Well, we’ll never know if we don’t give them the chance and some gentle encouragement, now will we? Besides, I can take care of it even if they might be less…circumspect about doing their work. Let me take care of it. You’d do the same for me if the situation were reversed, admit it.”

“Gentle encouragement? Really, Nate?” Adam said with a faint smirk as he shuffled the papers into a neat stack and reluctantly handed them over.

“Thank you,” Nate said as he took the paperwork. “I still maintain that we ought to give them the chance. They were both pretty shaken as well. Not that Morgan would ever admit it, and Farah is fretting and feeling too guilty to come say as much to you herself.”

Adam cleared his throat before answering, “Yes, well, I’ll believe it when I see it. How are the maa-alused? And the fortune teller?”

“Sanja seems to be recovering well, and the maa-alused appear to be more open to talking now that she has been recovered safely.”

“Good, and the Trappers?”

Nate winced, “Most of them were brought in, but a couple might have gotten away in the chaos.”

Frowning, Adam said, “Any ideas how they knew about the detective yet?”

“No, not yet.” They shared a look that both of them knew meant _not anything I’d be willing to entertain._

“That’s not a good sign. There could be more issues because of that. We’ll have to try to work out a plan to ensure the detective’s safety while maintaining a low profile.”

“True,” Nate said with a wry smile, “But you are still supposed to be resting, not working or thinking about work or battle tactics as it were.” He laughed as Adam scowled and cut him off adding, “We can have a meeting with everyone soon, when you’ve fully recovered, and I’ll stop giving you more motivation to think about work. Or at least the less pleasant aspects of work.”

Adam’s scowl deepened and he growled, “Nate, you can be worse than an old society mother sometimes.”

“Perhaps,” Nate laughed. “But at least I’m not insisting on men wearing knee breeches or expecting you to fetch me glasses of ratafia.”

“Oh, anything but the ratafia,” Adam replied, deadpan.

“Really? That’s what you object to? Not the knee breeches?” 

Adam shrugged, “They’re more practical. Besides, they showed off my ‘well turned calves’ to great advantage according to those ladies. Which is far more than ratafia ever did for anyone.”

Nate snorted, “Well at least one of us got out of those assemblies relatively unscathed. ‘Well turned calves’ indeed!” He shook his head as he levered himself out of the desk chair. “I’ll let you rest; it’s time to test my theory about this paperwork. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

“Nate,” Adam called. “Thanks.”

“No thanks necessary,” Nate replied with a smile. “Enjoy your book!” he added before shutting the door behind him.

Adam settled back against his pillows with the leather bound volume, only raising an eyebrow a _little_ at Nate’s less than subtle choice of titles, before opening the book and beginning to read.


End file.
